Shiro wat (Ethiopian chickpea flour stew)
Shiro wat
- Author
- Equipo Cocinoa
- Preparation time
- 46 min
- Servings
- 4
Summary
An easy recipe for 4 servings. It takes about 46 minutes to make. Each serving has about 263 kcal. It is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and sugar-free.
The Ethiopian chickpea flour stew: red onion cooked down slowly, garlic, ginger and berbere, and the flour simmered in water into a thick, velvety cream. Vegan, cheap and ready in under an hour; eaten with injera or flatbread.
Ingredients
- 1 u Tomato (ripe, grated)
- 4 cloves Garlic (chopped)
- Salt (to taste)
- 1 u Green Chilli (sliced, to serve) (optional)
- 2 u Red Onions (very finely chopped)
- 1 piece Ginger (fresh, 3 cm piece, grated)
- 4 tablespoons Sunflower Oil
- 100 g Chickpea Flour (or ready-spiced shiro powder (then use less berbere))
- 750 ml Water (hot)
- 2 tablespoons Berbere (to taste)
Instructions
Put the onion in a pan without oil over medium-low heat and stir it often until it releases its moisture and starts to soften, as is done in Ethiopian cooking.
8 min
Add the oil and keep cooking, stirring, until the onion is very soft and starting to colour. Stir in the garlic, ginger and berbere and fry for 2 minutes; if it sticks, add a splash of water.
15 min
Add the grated tomato and cook until its liquid has evaporated and it has blended into the onion.
5 min
Pour in the hot water and bring it to the boil. Lower the heat and sprinkle in the chickpea flour a little at a time, whisking constantly so no lumps form.
3 min
Simmer gently, stirring often and scraping the bottom, until the shiro is thick and glossy and the flour no longer tastes raw. If it gets too thick, add a little more hot water: it should be like a cream you can scoop up with bread. Season with salt.
15 min
Serve straight away, topped with the green chilli, on injera or with flatbread for scooping.
Notes
Shiro is probably the most common dish in Ethiopia and Eritrea: it is made every day at home and in simple restaurants, and it is essential during the many fasting days of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, when no animal products are eaten and cooking is done with oil. Outside fasting periods it is sometimes enriched with niter kibbeh, the spiced clarified butter. In Ethiopia shiro is bought ready-ground: roasted chickpea or broad bean flour mixed with garlic, ginger and berbere. In Spain you can find it in African shops and online, but chickpea (gram) flour from any supermarket gives a very good result if well spiced. The onion is first cooked down dry and slowly, and the berbere needs a couple of minutes in the oil to release its aroma; its heat varies a lot from blend to blend, so start with less if you do not know yours. It is served on injera, the spongy, sour teff flatbread that is both plate and cutlery. You can buy it in Ethiopian and Eritrean shops in big cities; as alternatives, thin buckwheat crêpes, pitta bread, wheat tortillas or naan all work, or a plate of white rice. Shiro thickens a lot as it cools: it keeps for 3 days in the fridge and freezes for up to 3 months; reheat it with a splash of water until it is creamy again.
More information
Nutrition facts263 kcal per serving
Nutrition facts
- Protein11 %7 g
- Carbs38 %25 g
- Fat51 %15 g
The percentage shows how much of the calories each macronutrient provides.
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 263 kcal | 75 kcal |
| Protein | 7 g | 2 g |
| Carbs | 25 g | 7.1 g |
| Fat | 15 g | 4.3 g |
One serving is about 352 g of raw ingredients; values per 100 g are based on that weight.
Estimated from the ingredient list · Values may vary depending on cooking method and product brand.
Guide indicatorsDifficulty, quality and data reliability
Guide indicators
- Estimated difficulty35/100
- Recipe completeness65/100
- Nutrition reliability
- Medium
Calculated automatically from the ingredients, steps, time and community feedback. They are not a guarantee.
StorageKeeps 3 days in the fridge
Frequently asked questions
- How long does Shiro wat (Ethiopian chickpea flour stew) take to make?
- It takes about 46 minutes in total.
- Which allergens does Shiro wat (Ethiopian chickpea flour stew) contain?
- Going by its ingredients, it contains none of the 14 allergens that must be declared in the EU. Always check the labels of the products you use.
- How long does Shiro wat (Ethiopian chickpea flour stew) keep in the fridge?
- Up to 3 days in the fridge, in a closed container. It can also be frozen.
- How many calories does Shiro wat (Ethiopian chickpea flour stew) have?
- About 263 kcal per serving, with 7 g of protein, 25 g of carbohydrates and 15 g of fat. This is an estimate worked out from its ingredients.
- Which diets is this recipe suitable for?
- It is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and sugar-free.
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